We tackled the real, bodily resurrection of Jesus – it was a great discussion. Here are the notes. Please let me know if you have any questions. PWG

What is the Resurrection?
Jesus died on the cross – but did not stay in the tomb He was buried in – He rose and ascended to heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:14-19

Details of the Resurrection:
1. All four Gospels contain accounts of the resurrection – Matthew 28:1-20, Mark 16:1-8, Luke 24:1-53, and John 20:1-21:25
2. Other places in the NT where faith because of the resurrection is mentioned – Acts – 10,11,13,15,17,24,26
3. Jesus didn’t just come back to life – like Lazarus – but He came back to a new kind of life in a new body
4. It was a physical resurrection – Matthew 28:9, Acts 10:41, Luke 24:30 & 39, John 20:27

Results of the Resurrection:
1. 1 Peter 1:3 – born again with hope because of it
2. Victory over sin – not final here on earth but – sin has no hold over us anymore – Romans 6:11 & 14
3. It seals our standing before God – Romans 4:25, Hebrews 1:3
4. Because of His resurrection – we will have a resurrection of our own – 1 Corinthians 6:14, 2 Corinthians 4:14, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53

Jesus’ Ascension:
1. Luke 24:50-51 – Jesus left earth and went to a specific place – heaven
2. Once He arrived there He was at God the Father’s right hand – Acts 2:33, Philippians 2:9
3. He receives praise – Revelation 5:12
4. His ascension lets us know what is in store for us – Romans 8:19

Proofs of the Resurrection:
1. Empty tomb – the fact that women are the primary witnesses to the original empty tomb is very important – no one in this day would have used the testimony of women as their primary source. Women’s testimony was admissible in legal matters but it was the least reputable. No one constructing a story would have picked women to the story tellers.
     4 theories about other alternatives:
        1. Conspiracy Hypothesis – the disciples took the body to keep the lie going that Jesus was God
       2. Apparent Death Hypothesis – Jesus didn’t really die
       3. Wrong Tomb Hypothesis – those going to see Jesus went to the wrong tomb
       4. Displaced body Hypothesis – Joseph who placed Jesus in the tomb actually came back and moved the body to a criminal graveyard

2. Post Resurrection appearances – 1 Corinthians account
1 Corinthians 15:3-8
‘For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also. ‘

3. The existence of Christianity
The fact that Christianity started and grew is also evidence of the resurrection. For Jews, the Messiah was viewed as a figure that would be triumphant and rule on David’s throne, not a figure that would be crucified and die.
The resurrection of Jesus undid the catastrophe of the crucifixion. The Messiah, who had died, is risen! The resurrection validated and verified the claims Jesus had made about his own identity. The origin of Christianity rests solely on the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.